Dark Love
by Kestrel-Marie
Summary: These two races have been at war for the last five hundred years. But soon, all is about to change. A detested hybrid and a powerful Miko will heal the rift one bitter woman’s hatred caused for five hundred years… IK and some SM
1. Prologue: Introductions

This is to facilitate your understanding of the story, while some terms may not be used; it helps you to gain a better understanding. For some of the terms, I have included the explanations in the story. This story is told in parts, which will jump back and forth, to the past and to the present. I hope this will interest you in continuing with the story. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters in the show. All others, the storyline, terminologies and original characters are mine according to my knowledge. I have not plagarised anyone's work. Anything similar to something that you may have read before is purely coincidental unless it is stated.

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**PROLOGUE: ****INTRODUCTIONS**

In the dusty corner of an ancient library, sits an old tome. Its pages are yellow and brittle with age. But turn the pages and you will read records of the latest events in time.

It is the Book of Origins and in it lives stories both old and new, of the beginnings and endings of each race, Immortal or mortal and their current activities, magically recorded.

It is the most highly regarded book in all of Mythos and each would do their utmost to protect or steal it for in it lies great knowledge. Knowledge that can be used for good or evil.

So treasured is this tome that it is guarded for all against all and will not be easily found. A spell was cast upon it at its making to blank its pages to those it deems unworthy so that it does not reveal its secrets to the world.

But now, it forges new pages for a story that is about to change the lives of two races, the vampires and Mikos.

These two races have been at war for the last five hundred years. But soon, all is about to change.

A detested hybrid and a powerful Miko will heal the rift one bitter woman's hatred caused for five hundred years…

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****Glossary**

**Alpha  
**The most dominant male in the wolf pack.

**Alpha Council  
**The most dominant pair will rule over all the wolf tribes along with the alpha pair of each of the tribes. Succession is not hereditary but is fought for once the Alpha pair is old or infirmed in any manner.

**Ancient  
**A vampire is given the title when they have passed their first millennium as a vampire.

**Arch Council  
**A vampire Council made up of thirty of the oldest living Ancients, the Originals, although there are a few younger vampires that were deemed worthy enough to sit on the Council. They are the ruling body for the entire race and are led by Jecarobe, the maker of Vampires.

**A-suko (A-su-ko)  
**A miko with the ability to manipulate earth.

**Black Dawn  
**A club established in 1950's. It was a partnership between the vampire Miroku and a silent partner still unheard off until today. It is a recognised Sanctuary that has the support of all the major and minor Councils from all races. No violence, blood spilling or deaths within Black Dawn and its grounds. Spell-casting is accepted for non-invasive spells only.

**Blood Lust  
**A stage of puberty that all true born male vampires go through around fifteen to twenty years of age, they develop their fangs, a thirst for blood and sensitivity to sunlight. This is also when their sexual drive is awoken.

**Blood Maturity  
**The stage the blood of all vampires must reach before are capable of changing mortals, typically only after they have passed their first century as a vampire.

**Blood R****age  
**A state a vampire enters into when he or she has been deprived or sustenance for a long period of time.

**Council Of Ages  
**A Council for Mikos, Priestesses and witches, whose ruling body, consists of a Crone, a Mother and a Virgin. They stand for a woman's youth, life and wisdom. Though she need not necessarily be powerful in magic to ascend any of the positions, she must be as her title describes; a crone, a mother or a virgin.

**Demi  
**Children that result from a mortal and immortal pairing, possessing a mortal lifespan although they may inherit abilities from their immortal parent.

**Demp****yre  
**Half demon, half vampire, classified under Hybrids as demons and vampires are both immortal races. A rarity because in current times as vampires and demons are at war, only one known living birth.

**Einherjar  
**The male slain warriors from Norse mythology who are a part of the God Odin's army, the male equivalent of a Valkyrie.

**Fledgling  
**A mortal who has just been turned or a young vampire before he or she reaches his first century as a vampire.

**Fólkvang  
**The hall where the Norse Goddess Freya, where she receives her newly immortalised Valkyrie.

**Hime  
**It is a title given to a female who possesses enormous spiritual energy that allows her to manipulate all the elements including her own spiritual energy to purify tainted objects. They are considered the most pure and a rare occurrence. Only two have been recorded in two thousand years.

**Himiko**** (High-Miko)  
**It refers to a miko whose energy lies heavily within healing and does not possess any elemental abilities.

**Honoko**** (Honoo-ko)  
**A miko who has the ability to manipulate fire.

**Houshi  
**A term used to describe a male who has the ability to manipulate spiritual energy. They also have a slower heart rate and a longer life span as compared to Passives. They specialise in exorcism and protective charms.

**Hybrid  
**Any offspring with two immortal parents, regardless of race.

**Inu  
**The Japanese equivalent of "dog"

**Kazuko**** (Kaze-ko)  
**A miko who has the ability to manipulate wind.

**Master  
**A vampire who is past blood maturity and is capable of teaching and caring for fledglings, not necessarily Ancients, but it is preferable.

**Miko  
**Although the term is the Japanese equivalent of a Priestess, in this instance, the term is loosely used to embody a female who is able to manipulate their spiritual energy to cast spells without invocation,. All Mikos have some degree of healing power although their other abilities may vary. Those with other abilities will have the suffix "-ko" after the element name. They usually have slower heart rates and longer life spans compared to Passives.

**Mizuko**** (Mizu-ko)  
**A miko who has the ability to manipulate water.

**Mys****ril  
**A very precious metal that the Elves possess that during forging is thread-thin and woven into an armour. It is very strong and very light and can withstand the weight of an elephant. In ancient times, mortals killed Elves for this metal although they did not possess the skill to weave it into armour, which is why Elves are nearly extinct.

**Mythos  
**The general name for the body of immortal and demi races, the races of myths that humans think no longer exist.

**Original  
**The fifty vampires that were created by Jecarobe the Shaman during the Second Ice Age through a ritual of blood-letting and blood-drinking although the actual process is not known.

**Passive  
**A term loosely used to describe humans in general or an insulting term for Demis with no abilities.

**Priest  
**A male who is able to invoke the power of his God or Goddess through prayer, no casting of a circle is required.

**Priestess  
**A female who is able to invoke the power of her God or Goddess through prayer, no casting of a circle is required.

**Sarchià  
**The title given to true born vampires.

**Sentinel  
**A warrior vampire whose sole mission is to exterminate threats to their race especially vampires possessed by Blood Rage.

**True Born  
**A vampire that is given birth to and not made, they are rather rare occurrences and only five have been born in four thousand years. But only four are recorded.

**Valhalla  
**The hall of the Norse God Odin, where he receives his male warriors.

**Valkyrie  
**A warrior maiden of Norse mythology, typically females who die on the battlefield and are brought over into immortal life as part of the Goddess Freya's army. They are frozen in their youth and when suitable rage or intent overwhelms them, their hair turns platinum, their eyes mercurial and they would develop claws. They have wings that cannot be seen by any of the Mythos unless they have the qualities that make a suitable mate because the sight of Valkyries with wings were said to blind lesser beings.

**Witch  
**A female who is able to cast magic with the aid of invocation to borrow the power of Goddess and a casting of a magic circle, in most instances, they also require the presence of the four elements, i.e. earth, wind, water and fire.

**Youkai  
**The Japanese equivalent of "demon".

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Writer's Note:  
I hope you feel suitable inspired to follow this story when its next chapters come out. Please read and review because your opinions matter.


	2. Chp 1 Mikos

Hi there! Thanks for reading the summary and the glossary. Without further ado... Lets proceed on to the first chapter!!  
Do let me know what you think of this story by reviewing. Thank you!

Disclaimer: I do not own Inuyasha or any of the other characters in the show. All others, the storyline, terminologies and original characters are mine according to my knowledge. I have not plagarised anyone's work. Anything similar to something that you may have read before is purely coincidental.

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**CHAPTER ONE – MIKOS**

In the Book of Origins, page 736, it states that…

The origins of Mikos are believed to have occurred during the Heian period (794 – 1185), when it was a time of peace and tranquillity. It was a time where people were allowed to freely express themselves with art and literature.

Magic use was developed during the Nara period (710 – 794), when temples were built in honour of the many Gods and Goddesses rather than small altars in homes. Priests and priestesses were installed to care for the temples and its grounds.

The priests and priestesses acted as a go-between for the people and spoke to the Gods on their behalf, praying for rain, better crops, healthy children and all that the villagers wished.

When the Nara period ended and the Heian period started, the people felt that there was no longer a need to pray for peace since the era was peaceful and so they longer went to the temples to offer incense and prayers.

However, the priests and priestesses still maintained the temple grounds and prayed devotedly each day and there were families who were faithful.

It was said that the Gods were pleased with the devotion and dedication of some of their priests, priestesses and the families that still worshipped them that the Gods blessed them with some of their power so that they could live longer and carry out their faithful duty.

Those not of the temple did not necessarily have to join the holy order but rather were schooled with them.

The males who had been blessed were henceforth given the honorary title of Houshi. The males learnt how to effectively manipulate their spiritual energy from the priests and other Houshis at the temples. The Houshis specialised in exorcism and protective charms, however, due to some anomaly in the males, they were unable to develop their spiritual powers beyond what they had been blessed with.

The females who were blessed were given the honorary title of Miko and learnt to how to regulate and develop their spiritual energy through prayer and meditation. They were given the honorary title of Miko, specialising in healing.

As the Mikos developed, it was plain to see that their spiritual energy laid not only in healing like the Priestesses they learnt from, but varied and so they set forth to learn how to control their various abilities, things the Priestesses in the temples could not teach them.

After years of training and they were sure that they had explored all the reaches of their vast power, they gathered back at the temples to show the new elemental abilities they had learnt.

The oldest Priestess there, having seen the wonders of their abilities, fell to her knees, thanking the Gods. Then, in 801, she came up with a system to identify their abilities and their strength.

Himiko also known as a High-Miko are Mikos who has healing abilities but they rarely have an inclination to lean towards other abilities.

Honoko (Fire-Miko), Kazuko (Wind-Miko), Mizuko (Water-Miko), A-suko (Earth-Miko) are titles bestowed upon Mikos who possess the ability to manipulate fire, wind, water and earth respectively.

After being assigned their titles, they were given ranks of one to five, one being the strongest and five being a mediocre strength.

With each generation of women that followed, their strength ebbed and flowed like the tide. Only one family of women passed their abilities down in consistent strength. There were times that some of them even possess stronger abilities.

They were from the Higurashi clan who were very faithful followers of their God and even built a temple on their grounds in tribute. They were the most blessed.

One day, their God took material form in their presence and spoke to them.

He said, "You worship me with all your hearts and therefore you are most blessed. I foresee great things in your futures and those of your children and their descendants. While other generations may pass and their power wane, I bless you and all the females of your blood. You will not get your powers upon your birth…"

At the slightest sound of protest, he held up his hand for silence.

"It is a blessing, not a curse. Now listen. You will not get your powers upon your birth. Instead, your power will sleep within you until you come of age. And to preserve that power, you will dream. You will dream of meeting your soul mates and you will know how powerful you are. He will aid in keeping that power strong within your line. In the changing tide of time, this blessing will aid you well," the God said, his loving gaze falling upon his children one more time before he faded from sight.

Henceforth, all the Higurashi females birthed after the blessing had no power. For a time, they despaired that their God had cursed them, but nonetheless, they remained faithful and prayed constantly to understand why he would bless them this way.

The other females that rose to power sneered at them while the first generation born after the blessing grew without power and without the prestige of their family name. Until Kahoko, the first born of the new generation reached her twenty-fifth year in 1150.

Kahoko went to bed one evening and had woken up with spiritual energy the next day, to the puzzlement of all who sneered at the Higurashi for losing their God's favour and to the delight of the entire Higurashi clan.

Kahoko said that she had dreamt she had been in a sedan and they were walking across a land with plenty of sand and no green trees in sight. The sand formed great hulking mountains and the journey seemed never ending. And just as she had been about to collapse from sheer heat exhaustion, a hand had parted her sedan curtain and handed her a tin of water, she said that she had felt utterly calm and loved. Although she had awoken immediately after that, she could vividly remember the sound of his voice and an angry red slash across his right palm.

It was that day that Higurashi Kahoko was granted the title, Mizuko, 2nd rank.

And a month later, she met and married Doujiouma Kenji, who interestingly enough had a slash wound on his right palm, the result of an accident while he had been exploring sand dunes on a distant continent three weeks before he returned to Japan.

And so the Higurashi clan had its glory back and loved their God even more for his wisdom, for they could see and feel the waning of power that contaminated all the other families with power.

In the Kamakura period, 1292, Higurashi Midoriko came into her power at twenty-one years of age. Attempts at assessing her power failed to put her into any of the categories. This was because she was able to display a variety of abilities and none specific to any of the elements. She could control earth, wind, water and fire. And lastly, she could purify tainted object just by touching them. She was considered most pure.

And so they created a new term for her, Hime no Miko, Princess of Mikos.

However, she died in 1923, two years after gaining her powers.

Midoriko was engaged to be married to a Jikojiro but died before she was able to. She had been in the Battle of Sagami Kamakura.

The Battle of Sagami Kamakura was a war waged between youkai and humans, although those of the holy order and the females in power had done their best to fight, their spiritual energy had waned and the youkai horde was able to massacre plenty.

And so, Midoriko sacrificed herself to purify all the demons present.

It was epic battle finale was described as…

"The young Hime drew the demons towards her with her purity, standing atop a grassy knoll shining brightly. Mitani tries to reach her but we hold him back.

We could tell that the youkai knew that it was a trap by how hard they tried to get away, but they were drawn to her and as they gathered around her, they stabbed their weapons deep into her body, trying to kill her, her crimson blood spilling forth.

Mitani is screaming as he watches Midoriko being killed.

Once the horde is completely drawn towards her, a bright light bursts from the centre and suddenly, there are no more youkai.

Mitani has collapsed to the ground crying, sobbing incoherently about having met Midoriko's eyes before that burst of white light and seeing her mouth a "gomenasai" to him.

And at the top of the grassy knoll, Midoriko stands frozen in her last moments."

The Battle of Sagami Kamakura resulted in 23 034 deaths and plenty of casualties although villages further in land only felt the earth quake and the massacred villages near the coast were buried by a tsunami.

The second Hime recorded lived during the Sengoku Jidai, a Priestess named Kikyo. She was twenty-two when she came into her power but decided against marrying and joined the holy order instead. She was put in charge of protecting the Shikon no Tama, a sacred jewel said to have been produced from Midoriko in the Battle of Sagami Kamakura.

The jewel was said to be hold considerable power and was able to grant your heart's wish because it was Midoriko's heart. And many youkai and other immortal races alike tried to get the jewel to become more powerful.

But one lone soul did not try to take the jewel and instead won Kikyo's heart. He was a young vampire, not even past his first century. And it was between these two lovers that the War of Blood Magic first drew breath.

Kikyo had lived almost fifty years and still looked as though she were still in her late thirties. She was lonely as she watched all the people around her die, if not from old age, then from sickness. Most of the people around her barely lived past their sixties since plagues and other diseases were rampant with no medical cure.

And she was tired of having to fend off every youkai, human or Demi that came to try and steal the jewel from her. There were times that she cursed the existence of the jewel, going so far even as to curse her ancestor, Midoriko, whom she heard it was originated from.

One night, while walking through the forest, she happened across what she thought was a young youkai. She had gotten into her defensive stance waiting for him to attack her when she realised that he did nothing but look at her curiously, his white ears flicking ever so often.

Slightly relaxed, but still wary, she asked him, "Why aren't you attacking me?" as she circled around him.

"Why would I do that? Why aren't you attacking me?" he asked, his topaz eyes following intently.

"Why would I do that?" Kikyo asked, pausing in her step to look at the young youkai curiously.

"Because I'm a hybrid. Everyone hates me," the young youkai muttered bitterly, his ears dipping, cowering close to his head, reminding her intensely of a dog.

"What are you a hybrid of?" Kikyo asked, curious as she edged closer to him.

"Vampire and Inu youkai," he replied matter-of-fact as he stared at the full moon.

"That's… Interesting. So you're a Dempyre. Haven't the vampires and youkai been at war for the last few centuries? I thought blood feuds ran deep," Kikyo said softly, taking courage as he made no sudden moves to sit herself beside the crouching hybrid.

And suddenly, she did not feel as lonely anymore.

Having befriended the young Dempyre, she found her days more fulfilling than she expected them to be and her heart felt lighter for once in thirty years since she had come into her power.

But as she passed her days with him, feeling her body age even as the young Dempyre appeared forever young, she began to envy him his immortality. She knew that although Mikos and Houshis lived several decades longer than Passives, they would all still eventually grow old and die. What she wanted was to live forever.

It was also around this time that she found a man who had been badly burnt in a cave on the edge of the forest just behind the village where she resided in. Thinking that the man was mute and deaf after talking to him for months and not getting a response, Kikyo spilled all her deepest darkest secrets to him, her fear of growing old and dying and about how she wanted to attain immortality.

One day, she returned to the cave only to find the man gone and all that remained was his bandages. Thinking nothing off it, she went about her business as per usual.

A week later, Kikyo was found in the forest, mortally wounded and close to death. The young Dempyre found her and gave her his blood, which she gladly accepted as her way to immortality.

But the young Dempyre knew that his blood would not change her because he had not yet reached blood maturity, instead, it would heal her and save her life.

Kikyo had been disappointed that he had not turned her because she had been sure that he had given her his blood. But she could have been wrong and probably have hallucinated it since no matter how many times she questioned him, he never replied her.

All too soon, their relationship soured, Kikyo's obsession with immortality coming between them. And as she grew older, she voiced her hatred for all to hear, infecting them with her hatred of the vampire race.

And the day she felt her life slipping from her, she gathered all her strength to make sure that the young Dempyre would never be happy again and cursed the young vampire.

She wove a spell that would stay with him through the ages, unseen by lower ranked Mikos or magical entities of any kind. A spell that would result in the death the woman he held dearest to his heart.

And with her hate seeded in the hearts of all the Mikos, she slipped across the veil into Death, a malicious smile pinned to her lips.

And henceforth, the War of Blood Magic has held sway over vampires and Mikos for centuries, with both races at each others' throats even though the actual reason died with Kikyo five hundred years ago.

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Writer's Note:

Thank you for reading and please review. Thank you for your support.


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